Portrait of the French architect and designer Jean Nouvel

Jean Nouvel Individuality, creativity & panache

People with outstanding personalities and creative minds are among our favourite design partners. Jean Nouvel is one of them: The Frenchman has not only been honoured with the Pritzker Prize, one of the most prestigious prizes in architecture. He is also known for his monumental buildings, which can be found all over the world.

His designs are characterised by the fact that he has no particular style. Instead, he adapts his designs to the people and the place. As an architect, he always has the big picture in mind - no wonder that his collaboration with us has resulted in a chair that inspires people of all ages.

Who is Jean Nouvel? An imaginative individualist?

Jean Nouvel was born on 12 August 1945 in Fumel, France. His parents were teachers. So he knows from his own experience how uncomfortable it can be to sit for hours on end at school - or with conventional chairs at university or at work. Such uncomfortable chairs are particularly unsuitable for children who are always on the move and chasing after their castles in the air.

Jean Nouvel, whose own creativity was already apparent at school, was one of them. His dream was to become a painter. At his parents' request, however, he studied architecture - fortunately for us.

1964

College yearsJean Nouvel studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux. He won a scholarship and transferred 2 years later to the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris.

1971

Busy workerBefore studying architecture, he worked as an assistant in architectural offices and even set up his own practice before graduating.

1976

Fully commited to his own ideasAs a founding member of the "Mars 1976" movement, Jean Nouvel's strong opinions and approaches are reflected in his designs.

Unique concepts characterise the work of Jean Nouvel

Jean Nouvel is responsible for many impressive buildings around the world. His style is not characterised by a single design language. At first glance, his buildings have little in common. But that is his trademark. He adapts his designs to the place and the people - for a unique design that deals with personal circumstances. He always has one thing in mind: light. His focus is on a striking interplay of light, darkness, shadow and colour.

2005

There will be lightThe Torre Glòries in Barcelona shines in the sunlight thanks to more than 60,000 adjustable glass slats. Its 32 floors also glow at night, thanks to a large number of coloured LEDs.

2009

La musiqueWith the Copenhagen Concert Hall, Nouvel has created a cube whose interior is perfect for concerts and musical events.

2017

Modernity meets traditionJean Nouvel is designing the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The art museum in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has a French connection to the original.

Our design partner: Jean Nouvel and the ‘Jumper’

In our search for a design partner who thinks as visionarily as we do, we came across Jean Nouvel. In addition to this architect's creative flair, we also share his appreciation for the architect Verner Panton. Jean Nouvel also stands out as a furniture designer – whether for offices, schools or museums. As the child of two teachers, he understands pupils in a very personal way and has a direct connection to our school furniture. Together, we created a chair that encourages people sitting on it to move with the ergonomics of the seating furniture. After all, it is not easy for children in particular to sit still all the time. On the chair we designed, you are welcome to move around and rock back and forth comfortably.

With heart and momentum: the lively ‘Jumper’ chair.

Together with Jean Nouvel, we developed a piece of furniture that is unique and at the same time ideal for schoolchildren, students and adults alike. The ‘Jumper’ is a flexible chair that invites you to rock back and forth. The shell was created based on a unique design by Jean Nouvel, which he has also used for the façades of his buildings. This causes the external appearance to change depending on the incidence of light.

Grip: Instead of a simple recess, the Jumper has a heart-shaped hole
Colour: VS and Jean Nouvel combined in numerous colours – including red, Jean Nouvel's signature colour
Ergonomics: comfortable and flexible, the chairs bring movement into everyday life and support a natural sitting posture

And because Jean Nouvel focuses on sustainability and environmental awareness in his buildings, our joint chair creation also follows this guideline. The ‘Jumper’ is one of the most sustainable chairs on the market and has been awarded the ‘Cradle to Cradle Certified’ seal in silver. So that we not only sit comfortably at work or school for a long time, but also have many years to enjoy our planet.

Are you interested in us and our company?

Then get in touch with us!

Contact request Marketing

This might also interest you

One-to-One with ...

One-to-one with Jean Nouvel

The architect and designer devised our newest school chair – the JUMPER. We met him to take a closer look at the design process.

Go to the Interview

Martin Ballendat

Less is more. Martin Ballendat really took this motto to heart when he designed an iconic chair for us that rests on three legs and is thus superior to many a four-legged chair. Not only because its triangular seat is extremely comfortable for our bottoms, but also because the VS Stakki gets on perfectly with others of its ilk. What does that mean? Find out for yourself!

Jean Nouvel and VS | VS